9/21 Lecture 1: Introduction to Nervous Systems
What is a brain? • Basic components of all neurons
9/28 Lecture 2: Neurons and Action Potentials
Electrical properties of neurons • Ion channels • Action potentials
10/5 Lecture 3: Synaptic transmission
Chemical synaptic transmission • Synapse structure • Neurotransmitters
10/12 Lecture 4: Cellular Basis of Learning and Memory
Synaptic plasticity • NMDA-type glutamate receptors • Long-term potentiation (LTP)
10/19 Lecture 5: Sensory Systems
Sensory transduction & coding • Strategies for sensing the environment across the animal kingdom • Chemical senses • Hearing • Basics of Vision
10/26 Lecture 6: Motor Systems
Neural control and coordination of muscles • Central pattern generators • Motor system pathology
11/2 Lecture 7: Emotions and Social Behavior
Emotional states and feelings • Emotion and memory • The social brain
11/9 Lecture 8: Reward and Pathological Learning
The reward system of the brain • How do addictive drugs work?
11/16 Lecture 9: Language and Thought
Organization of language in the brain • Disorders of thought and language • Brain asymmetry
11/23 Lecture 10: Disorders of Thought and Mood
Neuromodulation • Depression and affective disorders • Schizophrenia
- 11/30 Thanksgiving break. No class.
12/7 Lecture 11: Sleep and Wakefulness
What is sleep and why do we sleep? • Oscillations and brain rhythms • Arousal and attention • Dreaming
12/14 Lecture 12: Applied Neuroscience and Wrap-up
Neurorobotics • Consciousness • Art and the brain
Download a pdf of the syllabus here